Sony Xperia L1 SIM-Free 16GB Smartphone - Black

Sony L1 unlocked single sim phone purchased for my hubby after a year of trying to convince him he needed a new phone to replace his old Windows Phone which was on its way out with regards to support/updates and on charge more than off charge! This phone seemed a good beginners phone for someone not familiar with Android and frightened of it. It also gave me the opportunity to familiarise him with my XZ Premium phone on the basics before the L1 arrived. After not wanting to change his phone ever because he liked the one he already had, after only a few weeks he now says the L1 is the best phone he's had and wishes he'd changed sooner. There you go, sometimes you just need to take the plunge. As another reviewer pointed out, this phone does take a nano sim card, so those who purchase this phone, if not already using a nano sim, need to contact their Service Provider to supply a new. Having read details and reviews we were ready and waiting with a new sim card before the phone arrived so we could set up straight away. Having purchased another Sony phone in the last year, it seemed pretty straight forward. No info in the box, but that is quite common these days, but the Xperia Assistant on the phone directs as part of the set-up process. It does tell you you can transfer all your old phone stuff from Windows Phones to Android or from Android-to-Android. However the option to transfer from Windows was fiddly as not an automatic transfer; I had to do a bit of Google research on how to do this successfully. Thankfully we will never go back to using a Windows phone so will never be a problem again the hard work is done now. The phone doesn't have a lot of memory and it is taken up with apps that you may not need (and can only disable and not remove), but I've just put in the memory card from the previous phone and bulked it up. For beginners, you can customise it so everything you use is on the main screen. The phone comes pre-loaded with free AVG anti-virus, though we chose to boost this up with a paid-for app similar to our laptop and tablet as you can never be too careful. Not being a high phone user the battery will lasts anywhere between 2-3 days. The charger that came in the box consists of a USB cable that connects to a separate plug. So you can use the USB to plug into your laptop and charge via that if it is switched on, or alternatively you can put the plug on one end of the USB cable and use a regular wall plug socket. Switch on/off is quick and the operating is pretty good too and doesn't seem to have any lags. Surfing the internet and opening webpages is quick. As it is more of an entry level phone, there isn't a scanner on or finger recognition (nor does it come with any earphones/buds). You get what you pay for, and for most people they don't really want all the fancy additions. The camera pixels forward face and back are very good. There does seem to be a bit of a delay when pressing the button to take a photo and it actually taking the photo. My XZ is the same so may be a common and normal for all Sony phones across their whole range. It does not cause a problem once you know and adapt. Phone size isn't too small or too big and fits in the hand comfortably. Screen is very clear and the colours are excellent. I purchased the OMOTON Screen Protectors for this phone to prevent damage. A must-have if you drop your phone. The tempered glass of the protectors mean not only do they fit snug on the screen, the smooth glass ensures that you can glide across the screen without any drag or sticking (no need for a stylus). Combined this set-up with a Terrepin Black/Tan full case (all purchased from Amazon) to make the phone safe from damage. Overall the phone is easy to use. From out of the box to in-use it was approximately 1 hour. All the apps required were downloaded from PlayStore, email set up, personalisation, etc. Had I not had the issue with transferring from Windows and having to Google the procedure, it wouldn't have taken that long at all. Based on my experience with hubby's phone. If I could turn the clock back for myself, I probably wouldn't have been a phone-snob and bought my XZ Premium model and would have purchased this L1 instead as it has all the features I need and excellent value for money. I understand that this phone is being discontinued. So if anyone is looking for a phone that doesn't want all the fancy stuff, but good in every other respect, go for this phone while it is still available. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I'm normally not one to write reviews for products but with this phone I figured I might as well. I absolutely love the phone and it does pretty much as advertised. The plastic back doesn't feel cheap and is nice to hold, the display is clear and responsive and while the speaker isn't stereo it gets the job done. Really it would be a perfect 'low end' phone if it wasn't for two things: 1) The charging cable. Perhaps a minor thing (which I somehow managed to overlook before buying it) and I know many people out there are used to carrying their iPhone cables around but I was surprised to find that this little phone requires a rather specific type C USB cable to charge rather than the commonly seen micro USB charger. I bought an additional one straight away so I can carry one with me and leave one at home but this is a real nuisance to me. 2) The camera is awful to the point of being useless. I did check the reviews before buying this phone and I was aware it was a low performer in low light yet I wasn't prepared for this quality. It lags and focusing it properly is nearly impossible. Even when taking it outside in bright daylight the photos end up a grainy and fuzzy mess. I suppose the selfie camera is passable if you enjoy using that. Nonetheless I was not expecting a camera which takes worse photos than my old iPhone 4 and Xperia Z1. Some 'damage control' can be done by tinkering with the settings so you can guide the auto focus but it's not really worth the efforts and won'thelp you if you want to take a quick snapshot. Still, despite all this I've instantly fallen in love with this phone and can really recommend it if you're looking for a cheap backup smartphone or a phone for your kids/ I merely wanted to point out the very few downsides I found :)

They clearly sold me a terrible version of the phone. It is slower than the very same model I used to own, even more so over time. Apps that you're not even using crash all the time. It says your SIM's been removed when it hasn't and restarts your phone. I never had this issue with my phone before something happened to it meaning I was seeking a new phone. The proof: I sought another one of the same model, just dual instead of single SIM, thereafter. I wouldn't have if the phone sucked, as I wouldn't have liked it. It also routinely tells you your memory card is corrupt. DO NOT tap to fix in the first instance. Likelihood is it's fine. You just need to restart the phone and not only will the warning go away, you will have access to your files. I dunno what kinda version of this phone the seller is selling. This is not the Sony Xperia L1 I happily used before. It was a bit delayed but not like this. This is insufferable and crashes all the time. Otherwise, as with my original purchase of the model before I had to get a new one, strong screen, even better with a screen protector but I've found the screen much sturdier than the Moto E30 for example, as its screen is clearly made of paper in comparison and cracks from barely a meter, so don't accidentally drop it off a normal height furnishing not on carpet, although that's not how accidents work... The screen will smash. By comparison, I have not found that to be the case with this model. Much more resilient than the more recently released Moto E30. It looks good. You don't need the new pin things to access your SIM and memory card. You just move the bit on the side on the top left. Recently especially, frequently needs to be told to switch back storage to memory card when taking pictures etc... Easier to hold than recent releases but phone stand or handsfree use recommended to avoid hand discomfort etc...

A fuire achat en novembre (5mois d utilisation) et la batterie tiens pas la matinée impossible de télécharger des applications car la mémoire ne le permet pas ..... déçu de mon achat